


Sippy Cups and the Future

by gingayellow



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-28
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2020-05-28 19:15:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19400626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gingayellow/pseuds/gingayellow
Summary: After a chaotic day of baby-sitting Lance and Allura's toddlers, Keith and Shiro had a talk about possible fatherhood. Well, Keith does. Shiro quietly panics. [Sheith, Allurance, post-S8 but ignores the last 15 minutes and the epilogue, warnings in the header]





	Sippy Cups and the Future

**Author's Note:**

> For hc_bingo. The prompt was “allergic reaction.” Post-S8 fic that ignores the last fifteen minutes of the series and the epilogue.

Title: Sippy Cups and the Future  
Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender  
Characters/Pairing: Shiro/Keith, background Allurance  
Rating: PG  
Disclaimer: Not mine, anything mentioned here by name isn't mine  
Warnings: Touches on Shiro’s disease, time as a prisoner, death, and clone times  
Notes: For hc_bingo. The prompt was “allergic reaction.” Post-S8 fic that ignores the last fifteen minutes of the series and the epilogue. And because it's me, there is a TNG reference. 

“Okay, kids, I know you said good-by to Uncle Keith, but make sure to give Uncle Shiro a hug before you go—wait, let me wipe your hands first—sorry, Shiro.” If the press could see King Lance of New Altea, general of the Altean peacekeepers and consort of Queen Allura, flush in embarrassment, they would have had a field day. Luckily, they were on the front porch of a tiny cottage in the Arizona desert in the middle of the night—hardly the place reporters checked when in search of stories concerning intergalactic intrigue. The King’s reputation as a stern, fearless leader would remain intact.

“Lance, they’re toddlers. They’re going to make messes,” Shiro assured Lance gently. He bent down to kiss each tiny princess on the forehead. “Bye, Melenor. Bye, Larmina. Be good for your dad, okay?” The girls, still hyper from the cookies they had made and eaten, giggled as they raced each other to the Red Lion. “Send Allura my regards.”

Lance gave Shiro a tired grin. “Of course. And thank you for watching the girls while we negotiate this peace treaty. The Atlas’s Admiral and a Leading Blade baby-sitting Mel and Mina is a better security detail than any other planet could offer us.”

“Anytime, Lance,” Shiro said as he clapped his old friend’s shoulder. He waved as Lance walked off to his Lion. “Good-bye, take care!”

The instant the Red Lion disappeared into the sky, Shiro slammed and bolted the door. He sagged against it, twelve hours with two toddlers fully hitting his system. “I am so glad I’m the cool uncle. Cool uncles get to hand them off at the end of the day.” But he couldn’t pass out in his foyer, as tempting as that was. He needed to check on his husband.

Shiro staggered into the kitchen, where Keith was sweeping up the remains of the juniberry muffins Larmina had tore apart on the floor when they were taste testing their work. “Oh, Baby.” Keith had watched the girls in the morning so Shiro could sleep in after a nightmare had kept him up last night, not to mention he had made breakfast and lunch. “You don’t have to do that. I’ll take care of that.”

Keith shrugged, still sweeping. “You were getting them into their coats. I didn’t want to just sit around.”

Shiro wanted to remind Keith that waking up at 0500 and caring for two toddlers until 2000 was hardly sitting around, but Keith could be stubborn, so he settled for filling up the sink so he could begin soaking sippy mugs.

“Seriously, Shiro, I have it,” Keith assured him. “Don’t you need to recover from that allergic reaction you had when Larmina made you eat her muffins?”

“Pfft, I’m fine,” Shiro said, hoping that the hives had died down. After Allura began rebuilding Altea, they found out that Shiro was allergic to juniberries. It wasn’t a severe allergy; he just couldn’t eat many without breaking out. But Larmina had looked up at him so sweetly when she shyly asked Shiro to sample her work, and it was just a little pain to make her so happy…

Luckily, both girls were too young to understand why Uncle Shiro broke out in hives fifteen dobashes later.

Keith dumped the crumbs into the waste reclamation bin, where it would eventually become the quintessence needed to power their home. He padded barefoot across the kitchen to stand next to Shiro, smiling serenely at his husband. “Well, you do look a bit better.” He kissed Shiro on the cheek. “You were a real hero today, you know that? The girls adored you.”

“And I adore them.” The dish water sloshed as Shiro dumped the last neon pink sippy mug into the sink. “But good Lord, am I glad that we don’t have kids.”

At first, Shiro didn’t notice Keith’s silence. His husband was quiet by nature, and he enjoyed their comfortable silence as he began washing sippy mugs, then handing them to Keith to dry. But as they completed their task, and Keith wouldn’t even look at him, Shiro realized he had messed up.

“I’m sorry,” Shiro offered, for what good it would do. What could you say when you had not only found out your husband was at least considering kids, you had accidentally trampled that dream. “I—I thought you still felt like you did when we talked about kids right before the wedding.”

“You’re right. You’re absolutely right.” Keith darted around Shiro, looking for an exit. “I’m the one who should apologize, I was being weird, just forget it—”

Shiro rested a wet hand on Keith’s forearm. “I can’t forget hurting your feelings.” Keith still wouldn’t look at him. “Please. At least tell me what changed your mind?”

“Nothing major.” Keith’s tone was soft. Like he wasn’t quite sure he could trust Shiro. And that hurt more than anything, but he was focused on Keith right now. “I think it started when I held Melenor and it wasn’t as scary as I thought it’d be.” He glanced up at Shiro, almost smiling. “And… I guess watching Lance and Allura raising their kids brought back some memories.”

“What memories?”

“My childhood wasn’t the easiest, as you know. But my father was there for me, even when… even when all I had were memories.” He gazed at Shiro, resolute. “The universe is safer now, but there are still kids out there with no one there for them. I want to be there for at least one kid, like my pop was for me. But I don’t want to force you into anything.”

Kids had never been an option. His doctors had told him that he would die before his children had graduated high school. So, he would have find some sliver of immortality on his own, going where no one had ever gone before. He had accepted it. And that was well before his time as a captive, then a Paladin, and then a spirit growing to hating an innocent image of himself for having all the things he’d lost, including Keith’s love.

But now? The clone he’d hated so much had allowed Shiro to merge with him, physically and psychically, into a body that was disease-free. Disease-free for horrible reasons, but the clone had… made sure Haggar’s plans for an army of Champions would never succeed. And while it had taken awhile, sharing the clone’s memories made Shiro realize that it wasn’t his training or innate goodness or routine any similar rubbish that had kept him together. It had been his love for Keith. Keith, who loved more fiercely than anyone else in the universe. Of course he’d want to be a father.

He terrified. But with Keith… maybe they could make a kid out there happy. Keep the kid safe. That would be wonderful, even if it was still unnerving

… But he was also captain of a starship and Keith was his first officer and also a Blade, and they were always on some deep space mission.

Then again, Keith’s dad was a firefighter and his mother was an alien, and they were both good parents.

“I think,” Shiro said as he wrapped his arms around Keith’s waist. “I think we’re both really tired, and need to get some sleep. Then tomorrow, we could talk about adoption processes?”

Keith’s eyes widened. “Shiro...”

“I admit, I’m a little scared.” It was difficult, being this vulnerable, even after five years of marriage to Keith. But if there was one thing the clone (the other Shiro) had taught him, it was that being vulnerable was okay. “But I’m willing to see if we can do it.”

Keith didn’t say anything, but he grabbed Shiro in a tight hug, kissing him quickly—then yelped when Shiro picked him up, taking him to their bedroom.

Keith gave the universe so much love, and it was time he got some in return.


End file.
